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A South education allows students to explore and develop interests that build the foundation of lifelong career paths. Our faculty are dedicated to helping students reach their maximum potential. And with more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, South provides plenty of avenues for discovery.
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My teaching philosophy is to facilitate the development of students’ eagerness to
learn. This philosophy encourages me to instill in students the satisfaction and joy
of discovering threads of truth that run through the fabric of life - which may bring
them to the lifelong pursuit of wisdom – the motherlode. Wisdom tells us we need to
know more.

My beliefs about teaching follow:

Teachers should be encouraging, challenging, compassionate, and organized. I support
my students and present myself as an educational ally. I assume the roles of teacher,
model, and mentor. I challenge students to produce quality work based on recent research
and work with them in developing self-efficacy in their academic efforts.

Teachers who set high expectations for students are more likely to generate students
who try harder and reach higher levels of learning than students not expected to excel.
I expect students to be active participants in the learning process and encourage
them to set high goals for themselves.

For advanced supervision, Neufeldt, Iversen and Juntunen’s (1995) case conceptualization
model best undergirds my work. I encourage counselors to examine their hypotheses
about clients and their theoretical orientation in relation to appropriate interventions
- all within the context of their theory of change. Advanced supervisees have commented
that they have benefited from exploring their own perceptions of change as it relates
to chosen interventions as their awareness of their beliefs explained discrepancies
in their counseling practice.

I apply an existential/humanistic approach to case conceptualization and supervision.
As such, I help supervisees focus on their authenticity and skill development within
a respectful, empathic environment. My belief that people have tremendous potential
enables me to be optimistic about their possibilities of becoming effective counselors
and I am very respectful of the role I play in their development.

Dr. Millner's research focuses on health behavior and health promotion. Specifically,
her research investigates attitudes towards unplanned adolescent pregnancy and sexual
wellness across the age span. Her other research interests include program evaluation,
positive psychology, subjective well-being, and optimism.

Dr. Millner’s work is interdisciplinary and frequently involves collaborative work
with community partners to further positive community health. Recent projects include
her work with the Junior League of Mobile to study nutritional attitudes of middle-school
students and her five year evaluation/research project with the Mobile County Health
Department (funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to reduce adolescent
risky sexual behavior and adolescent unwanted pregnancy rates in the community. The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy highlighted her efforts as part of a case
study, Community Spotlight: Using Data to Engage Program Partners: Mobile County Health Department.

Dr. Vaughn Millner, LPC, NCC received her PhD in Counselor Education from Auburn University.
She teaches graduate courses in the Clinical Mental Health program at USA. Dr. Millner
has published over two dozen research papers in professional peer-reviewed journals
and contributed to a book, a book chapter, and encyclopedia entries on various topics
of human relations training, human sexuality, and public health.

Her recent research and evaluation efforts regarding the reduction of adolescent
risky sexual behavior were supported by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention/Mobile County Health Department. She recently published, along with
her two co-presenters, an article in the Sexuality Research and Social Policy journal regarding parents’ beliefs about sex education for their children in Alabama
public schools. Professor Millner’s work has also been published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Southern Medical Journal, and The Family Journal. Her work has been cited in Harvard Law & Policy Review.

Courses

EPY 351 - Human Growth and Development

EPY 455 - Evaluation of Teaching and Learning

CED 560 - Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

CED 576 - Supervised Practicum in Counseling

CED 586 - Analysis of Counseling Process

CED 588 - Career Planning and Placement

CED 590 - Human Sexuality in Counseling

CED 676 - Advanced Practicum in Counseling

EPY 502 - Psychological Principles of Learning

EPY 521 - Human Development and Behavior

EPY 555 - Tests and Measurements

CED 584 Seminar in Ethical and Legal Issues

CED 597 Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Dr. Millner has taught additional 8 courses at USA external to the College of Education.